Lombard Cruise Nights showcase souped-up classic cars with unique stories

One of the most iconic images of the movie “Back to the Future” is the high-tech DeLorean car that took Marty McFly 30 years into the past. If you happen to be walking down St. Charles Road in Lombard this summer, you might just be shocked to see it on the side of the road or cruising down the street.

Don’t worry, no one has traveled here from 2042.

These are just the kinds of cars that can be seen during Cruise Nights in Lombard from 6 to 10 p.m. starting Saturday, June 2. Cruise Nights run every Saturday night on St. Charles Road and Park Avenue in downtown Lombard until the end of August. Any kinds of classic cars are invited to participate, no registration necessary.

“Most of the men have these passionate stories about putting their blood, sweat and tears into these cars,” event organizer Joelyn Kott said.

Cruisers pop their hoods, dress up their cars and prop them up so people can see the work they’ve done. Kott said many car owners find pieces in junkyards and constantly buy and sell and turn over their cars simply because they like working on them.

The DeLorean is one of the cars Kott remembers best. The car owner tells community members how he found the car in a junkyard in Texas and had visions of turning it into the DeLorean from “Back to the Future,” an accomplishment he now proudly displays.

The event first started when firefighters from Lombard who had classic cars of their own came to the Village of Lombard 15 years ago asking for their town to have a car show like nearby towns had. A year was spent researching and checking out shows in surrounding towns.

“Fourteen years later, we’re still doing it bigger and better,” Kott said.

Glenn Foster was one of those firefighters who came to Kott. He said that when Cruise Nights were started, Lombard’s downtown area was pretty vacant and instead of walking down St. Charles Road, people used it simply to get from point A to point B.

“Cruise Nights had a good impact on a lot of the development down there,” Foster said.

Foster said the Cruise Nights have helped make the downtown area more inviting and helped local businesses bring in more customers. He remembers that in the event’s first year, a restaurant even ran out of food and beverages.

“Some have come out and said they wouldn’t be in business if it weren’t for Cruise Nights,” Foster said.

Businesses are encouraged to do things to target the people Cruise Nights attract, such as run discounts or specials.

“The goal is to bring increased foot traffic and people, basically, to downtown for businesses so they have a captive audience already there,” Kott said.

Foster has a 1933 Chevy Hot Rod that he brings out on Cruise Nights, and he is working on a 1970 Jaguar XK and a 1929 American LaFrance fire engine. Working on cars is his hobby. He said the cars are a way for people to bring back memories and relive their youth.

“People normally don’t shut up once you ask them one question about their car because they love it,” Foster said.

On a typical day, 250 to 300 car owners participate. People come from as far away as Wisconsin and Indiana for the event. Kott said the cruise nights serve as a place where people can go to gather and visit with their neighbors, friends and family and to see what’s in their own backyard.

“The community response is really good because what we’ve tried to do over the years is to mold the event to be a fun, free family event,” Kott said.

She said the event is cost-free specifically so that people could enjoy the show without worrying about paying for things. The village didn’t want kids bugging their parents to buy things for them.

“From the very beginning, we didn’t want everyone and their aunt selling things like glow sticks,” Kott said.

Two things Kott said make Cruise Nights unique are the entertainment provided and appreciation gifts given to cruisers, without whom there would be no event, she said.

Bands and a DJ play on a stage on Park Avenue. Bands often have followers and play mostly ’50s and ’60s music.

The first weekend of Cruise Nights is Welcome Back Weekend, when there is a give-away to all cruisers of specialty items, which this year include car shammies with the event program printed on them. Toward the closing of Cruise Nights, Cruiser Appreciation Weekend offers the chance for another give-away, which has included specialty license plate frames and coffee mugs in the past.

Kott said volunteers from both the community and outside of Lombard have been instrumental in helping the event run smoothly. Volunteers guide cars to parking, answer questions and in general are on hand to help create a personal touch.

“Volunteers have been by my side through all of it, and we wouldn’t have the success we’ve had if it weren’t for them and their dedication,” Kott said.

To volunteer, call Kott at (630) 620-5718.

The DeLorean car is not the only unique thing to be seen at Cruise Nights. Kott remembers several interesting vehicles, including a car dressed up like Tweety, a car like the one the Munsters drove, a coffin car with flames shooting out of the back and an Elburn man who had installed rocket engines on the back of his wheelchair and went down St. Charles Road.

“Every car there, practically, has a story,” Kott said.

Villa Park resident Richard Lussow has been participating in Cruise Nights since they first started 15 years ago. He shows four 1962 Pontiac Catalinas and a 1968 Firebird during the summer. Lussow is the original owner of one of the 1962 Pontiac Catalinas. He drove it on his honeymoon.

“I still have the original wife, too,” he joked.

Lussow has restored the other four cars to original factory conditions. Lussow said he enjoys the camaraderie of the Cruise Nights and enjoys educating people about the cars because a lot of people don’t understand what it takes to restore a car.

“The cars I have are 50 years old, so there’s a lot of people who have heard about them but never seen the particular cars,” he said.

Lussow said the Cruise Nights can be nostalgic for a lot of people who may have grown up in the time when some of the cars were made, and they can remind them of their youth.

“It brings back a lot of memories for a lot of people,” he said.

If you go

What: Cruise Nights in downtown Lombard

When: 6 to 10 p.m. Saturdays, June 2 through Aug. 25 except July 7

Where: St. Charles Road and Park Avenue in downtown Lombard

Cost: Free

Info: (630) 620-5718